Electronic navigation devices have become mainstream consumer items in modern times. Such navigation devices are used to both determine a current location in relation to the earth and to calculate a route for getting from one location to another referenced location. The determination of the current location of the navigation device is typically determined by radiolocation or satellite location techniques. With radiolocation, one common procedure is to measure either the angle or time difference of arrival of radio signals from stationary towers or base stations received by the navigation device. Based on these measurements, the position of the navigation device relative to the stationary towers can be determined, as well as the position of the navigation device within a reference coordinate system on the earth if a geo-referenced location for the towers is known. Satellite location techniques, on the other hand, currently utilize the global positioning system (GPS) satellites to determine a distance between the navigation device and three or more satellites. This is accomplished by measuring the time delay between transmission and reception of each GPS radio signal that is received by the navigation device. Because the speed of travel of the GPS radio signal is known, and the signal includes location information for the respective satellite, the navigation device can determine a current position for itself within a reference coordinate system on the earth.
Technological advances in hardware design have enabled navigation devices to be formed as handheld-type portable devices. In particular, reductions in the form factor of microprocessors, GPS receivers, and other circuitry have made it possible to design a compact navigation device. Nevertheless, depending on the desired functionality for a given device, the hardware or other electronics necessary to support such functions may require a relatively large housing structure for a handheld-type portable device. Challenges, therefore, can exist in designing navigation devices that achieve a proper balance between a desired level of portability and the functionality required for a device to provide a robust set of features.